***
Grief was an unbidden intruder, and one who refused to leave. Night and day, it remained with Adaria, like a second shadow which refused to leave her. It was everywhere, and in the few moments when she could manage to close her eyes for a little while and try to fall asleep, she would only succumb to the terrible, sinking feeling once again.
How blissful it would have been to forget. How wonderful it must feel for one who didn't have to grieve the loss of a loved one; a mother, at that.
She would never be the same again. She knew that from the moment her father's empty eyes turned towards her, desperately seeking an answer to a question he dared not ask. He couldn't bring himself to say it, and neither could Adaria bring herself to tell him what needed to be said.
She didn't rem
